The following may be attributed to Jeff Pulver, Chairman of pulvermedia, regarding today's announcement of eBay's purchase of Skype.

"Today's move by eBay in purchasing Skype is transformational because it signals the ability and value of an 'Applications Company' adding a 'Communications Company' to its portfolio. This turns the entire telecom industry picture on its head, and demonstrates that voice, presence, text messaging and other IP-based applications will be essential for the company of the future."



"Until today, we looked at building communications networks and applications differently. Telcos never were the developers of applications frankly, developing applications is not the telcos' strong suit. Innovation happens at the edge. Now we have an example of how communications will be swallowed by the edge. eBay, because it comes from a place where it knows about community, how to build community, and how to enable end-users within its community probably knows how to harness the products and services that Skype's technology will enable."

"Unlike traditional voice communications providers, eBay gets the concept of community and community building. Adding a rich IP-based communications capability including IM, voice and presence applications to its community should dramatically enhance the value of and services available to eBay's community."

"eBay and Skype are both essentially 'peer-to-peer' companies that recognize the value of building community and communicating via a multiplicity of modes and applications within that community. eBay's recognition that a peer-to-peer communications company has value should shine a spotlight on the other IP-based communications technologies, networks and applications. I suspect others might follow eBay's lead, see the value of peer-to-peer and IP- based communications products, and acquire competing IP-based communications companies."

"If you take the elements of eBay, including the micro-payments capability of Paypal and, now, the IP-based communications capabilities of Skype, we may be seeing the formation of the next Reuters."

"Companies like eBay who live in the 'bottom up' space know what people want and now, via Skype's enabling technology, can deliver the applications that people want. By improving the ability of eBay users to 'see' others' 'presence' with Skype, the effect should be the creation of a more perfect market and allow eBay sellers to increase auction prices based on a more efficient method of reaching all possible bidders."

"Telcos may suffer in the long term, but, frankly, I can see a more dramatic impact on Sotheby's and the 'Antique Road Show."